THE FIRST ALBATROSS EXPEDITION 253 



slowly, while Agassiz occasionally left his work in the 

 laboratory to note the strain on the tackle recorded on 

 a dial. After a time the vessel was again stopped, and 

 the long tedious process begun of reeling in what ap- 

 peared to be an endless line of cable. The incessant 

 monotony of the clank, clank, of the reeling engine was 

 punctuated by an occasional sharp vibrating jar, as a 

 sudden roll of the ship brought an extra strain on the 

 gear. Meanwhile in the laboratory, Agassiz and his as- 

 sistants were busy sorting what remained of the hauls 

 of the previous day, preserving the specimens and pre- 

 paring them for storage in the racks in the lower 

 laboratory. 



As soon as the catch arrived on board, all was bustle, 

 activity, and excitement. The contents of the bag, a 

 mass of ice-cold ooze, was turned into sieves and washed 

 down under spray, while Agassiz, eager as a boy, in- 

 spected each fresh revelation from the silent depths of 

 the sea. Again the work of sorting and preserving the 

 specimens continued under Agassiz's supervision in the 

 laboratory, some of the more delicate being turned over 

 to Westergren to sketch. There were usually three or 

 four dredgings a day. Often the last haul did not come 

 on board till after dark, sometimes as late as ten or 

 eleven o'clock, when they were handled by the help of 

 the deck lights. 



While the trawl was dragging slowly over the bot- 

 tom, a surface tow net was sent overboard on one of 

 the lower booms. If this haul proved interesting, the 

 ordinary routine would be interrupted, and the huge in- 

 termediate tow net, substituted for the trawl, would be 

 sent down, often three or four times, if the surface 

 towings showed abundance of life. 



